The Ladder
by Dragon Country
Summary: A man who was born into rags had lied, manipulated, and cheated his way into riches. But one day it all came crumbling down and he ended up with a bullet in the chest, but now he has another chance at the greatness he so desires in this chaotic world of Ninja and monsters. (OC reborn fic AU)
1. Baby Days: Year One

**The Ladder**

 **I don't own Naruto, Naruto is the property of Kishimoto Masashi and is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

 **Baby Days Year One**

* * *

In the hospital of Konohagakure a black haired young woman was on her third hour of labor, her bright blue eyes shone a faint ethereal glow as the room around her quaked, and the florescent light of the hospital room flickered with each stab of pain and each labored push of the young woman.

"Y-you're doing very well Ruqa-san, I can already see the head!" The doctor stammered in slight fear of the woman he was helping give birth.

The woman's glowing blue eyes shone brighter as she screamed louder, the muscles on her neck bulging with strain. "D-damn you for leaving me Danuja, you should have been here!" Ruqa cried as hot tears fell down her pale cheeks.

One of the nurses trying to hold the laboring woman steady was suddenly pushed away by an invisible force, flinging the medic into the wall causing the older woman to groan in pain upon impact.

"Ruqa-san you need to focus, you're letting your powers go out of control, the baby could be hurt if you don't reign it in!" The doctor ordered.

Ruqa nodded before closing her eyes, she tried to control her breathing and with great effort the quaking room began to settle and the lights stopped flickering. The laboring woman slowly opened her eyes, her ocean blue eyes no longer glowing.

The doctor smiled gently, "good now, one more push and he should be all out, ready miss Okamura?" He asked carefully.

Ruqa nodded and began to control her berthing, "I…I'm going to push now," her voice now more gentle than it was a moment ago.

The doctor nodded, "okay…one…two…three…push!" He yelled.

Ruqa pushed with all her might, forcing new life into the world though her will and pain, a minute later the blue eyed woman was relieved by the sound of a baby's wail.

The doctor carefully took the babe into his arms and gently handed him to the nurses for cleaning. "Congratulations Ruqa-san, it's a boy like you suspected, you'll be able to hold him in just a moment." He said with a big smile.

Ruqa was exhausted after hours of labor, she fell back unto her bed tiredly, "that's good," she mumbled, her face growing paler.

The doctor quickly went over the woman with a diagnostics jutsu, "shit, nurse she's losing too much blood I need help over here!" He yelled in alarm.

One of the nurses quickly scrambled to his side and began to aid the doctor in an attempt to save the woman's life, "doctor, her old injury to her heart, the labor must have aggravated it she's having a heart attack!" The nurse informed.

"Damnit we're losing her, Ruqa stay with us, stay with your son!" The Doctor plead as his hands glowed bright green over her heart.

Ruqa's eyes felt heavy, she weakly lifted her arm and pointed to the small bundle held by another nurse, "D-Danuja…after h-his father, d-don't die on your wife like he did... be…good…I L-love you" Ruqa said to her newborn son, the blue eyed woman gently closed her eyes, not for the first time but for the last time, wishing that things were different.

* * *

He was pissed, no he wasn't just pissed, he was beyond livid!

Years of planning out the fucking drain, he had done so much, he was on the precipices of achieving his dreams, he had gained his millions, built an empire! How in the hell was he supposed to know that the very first person he ever burned would show back up out of the blue and pop one in his chest, how could he not see it, how could his guards be so incompetent, why did he chose today of all days not to wear that fucking vest!?

He supposed it was God's justice, or Karma, or he was just plane unlucky, but damnit if it didn't piss him off. He would never accept this, dying like some random shmuck of the streets, that was the impressionable lower class youth's job not his damnit!

He expected many things after his world went black, he expected a pit of fiery despair and pain, he expected to see all the people he fucked over and all of the mistakes he made to come, literally and metaphorically, biting him in the ass.

What he didn't expect was to wake up in a comfortable bed, breathing in fresh air instead of sulfur, and not being burning hot but a nice comfy warm.

" _What in the God damn?"_ He questioned.

He tried to sit up but his body was sluggish to respond and his head felt like it was tied to a pile of bricks. _"Did I survive…am I waking up from surgery?"_ That felt right, he did feel exhausted, so he figured he might as well just let his body heal and rest, he'll get some of his guys to deal with his would be killer later.

" _Charley you wonderful bastard,"_ he thought to himself as he sucked on a woman's teat. Charley, that crazy wildcard, only he would pay a hooker to breast feed a man recovering from major surgery.

It was strange though, how this woman was so tall and how he felt so small, and the fact that his dick wasn't working was concerning but he chocked that up to the anesthesia and dehydration. _"It's a nice thought, but I'm not into the whole giantess and mommy fetish, but hell id probably had done the same,"_ he mused.

Suddenly he was pulled away from the teat and the woman manhandled him, _"okay bitch that's enough!"_ He tried to say but all that came out was gurgles and drool, _"fuck these muscle relaxers or good shit,"_ He thought dizzily before the giant of a woman gently struck him twice on the back causing him to burp.

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him and he soon found himself closing his eyes and falling asleep without a second thought.

* * *

" _Okay, okay, okay, now shit is getting really weird,"_ He thought, he hadn't realized it until now, probably because this is the longest he's been awake for what seems like days or even weeks. But for some reason everyone, and he means everyone, is speaking Japanese.

" _Are the fucking Yakuza behind this, did they hijack the ambulance and bring me to wherever they're hiding nowadays, and why in the fuck is everyone so damn big?"_ He wondered.

His vision had slightly recovered, he could see shapes a lot better and for some reason a giant woman loved to get right in his face, which allowed him to see her pale skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair.

He hopped he was hallucinating, that this was all just an elaborate dream created by a medically induced coma. But he felt in the back of his mind that this wasn't a dream, he remembered things too clearly and too regularly for this to be a dream, and every dream he ever had where he realized he was dreaming his subconscious fought hard to regain control.

He felt none of the tale tell signs that he was indeed dreaming, with what little muscle control he had left he force his fingers into his field of few, he counted ten fingers even, if this was a dream he wouldn't be able to count his fingers, it was one of the tricks he knew about to help train your brain for lucid dreaming.

" _Not a dream, and my thought are too coherent to be a hallucination,"_ He reasoned, but that left only one option that he could think of, one illogical and frankly very sacrilegious option.

He was a baby again, he was reincarnated, and he was reborn in Japan or at least a Japanese speaking home, he felt like he should be freaking out. But… _"but how many times have I said if I could do it over again I would have done it better, if I was five, ten, twenty years younger, if I could take the wisdom that I have now and go back in time…"_ His musings dispersed when he heard a door open.

"Oshi-san how is little Danuja-kun doing?" He heard a female voice ask politely, his yearly work trips to Japan and years of learning the language coming in handy in this peculiar situation.

"Well behaved and quiet as ever, thank Kami for small merciless," another, yet younger sounding female voice replied.

"That's wonderful, could you help me get the older children ready, the academy's reopening today and for most of them this will be the first time going without their parents," the first woman asked somberly.

"Of course Yonono-senpai," the younger woman replied respectfully.

With that the two woman left him alone in the small nursery, _"I guess my new name's Danuja now,"_ He mused.

* * *

Danuja smiled at his latest triumph, after what felt like a month he had finally regained his mastery over the art of crawling, but that was not what he was so gleeful about. No it was the dozen wooden blocks that he had so carefully placed an top of each other to make a block tower. To other's this would not be an accomplishment, but to him this meant that he was slowly but surely regaining his motor skills.

Danuja laughed maniacally at the wooden obelisk, the monument of his skill, the first accomplishment of many. _"hehehehe, my name is Danuja king of kings, look upon my works ye be mighty and despair!"_ He declared inwardly.

"Uhh, Yonono-senpai, Danuja's doing it again," the voice of Oshi called out from the door behind him.

Danuja looked back at a girl in her late teens standing in the doorway, Oshi was a simply dressed girl who wore a dark brown skirt that fell to just below her knees and a brown long sleeved top to match. Her dirty blond hair was tied into a bun and had rectangular glasses, giving the young woman a librarian- esque look.

"Calm him down before things start flying everywhere, I don't know if he's anything like his mother but Kami forbid he gets too exited around other children," The older voice of Yonono echoes out from somewhere beyond the nursery room.

Oshi begins walks carefully towards him, not quite in fear, but more like approaching a wild animal, more cautious than fearful.

Danuja is curious by the display of caution, every time he got a bit exited they did their best to 'calm him down' like he was a bomb waiting to go off.

He decided to ignore the teenager, he was a thirty five year old man for Christ's sake, he could handle his emotions, not his fault that he liked to over exaggerate when expressing himself. Danuja turned his back on the young woman and carefully tried to stack another block onto the top, the structural foundation wasn't the best, and he was already pushing it with ten blocks, but damn it did he want to use all of em.

He gently attempted to stand, his baby bones not quite fused together yet making it hard to stabilize himself. _"Carefully, carefully, come on, I almost got it, almost there, almost there,"_ His eyes were locked in concentration, his little baby tongue poking out of his mouth as his arm slowly reached for the top of his wooden tower.

He was just a hair of an inch short and suddenly the wooden tower fell along with Danuja, "ahh!" He shouted in alarm.

But just before his head could impact the floor and possibly brain damaging him for life, he felt a pair of hands grab him just a few inches off the ground.

"Sage's eyes Danuja-chan be more careful, you scared me half to death!" Oshi admonished.

Danuja kept himself from scowling at what just happened, yes he felt grateful to the young woman for saving his life, but that was part of the problem, he hated being indebted to anybody. _"I'm going to have to pay her back for this…fuck me and my bleeding heart…whatever I'll bother with it when convenient."_ Danuja mused.

"Come on let's get you a diaper change," she said with a sigh before picking him up.

" _Oh…"_ he realized, _"I pissed myself,"_ that was embarrassing, he really needed to get his muscle control back, getting his diaper changed by a girl old enough to be his daughter just didn't sit right with him.

* * *

The Matron of the Orphanage, Yonono, reminded him of an old elementary school teacher that was half phoning it in because her retirement was around the corner and was half newly made grandmother who found her love for children again. The heavy set black haired woman with rounded glasses and a black kimono tied together by a blue obi, had her good days and her bad days.

On some days he saw that she truly felt sorry for the dozens of newly created orphans that found their way into her orphanage. But on other days when he escaped from the nursery he found the woman crying to herself alone in her office, on those days she was much more strict and harsher when it came to 'calming him down' if he showed his emotions too much. She never laid a hand on him, but he did think that raising her voice that often and at such a loud volume was a bit uncalled for. _"Not my fault that her menopause is acting up,"_ he would think to himself.

From the word that he had gotten around the orphanage when he escaped his cursed prison called a nursery. He had discovered that the village he was apparently home to, was attacked fairly recently, or it was a natural disaster, it varied on who you were talking to, some people even claimed that the thing that attacked the village was the fucking Kyuubi!

He had a nice laugh when he heard that, at least there were some Naruto fans in this place, his favorite anime and manga series was a guilty pleasure of his that helped to kept him sane during those days in juvenile hall. He still went back to It on occasion even after the manga ended when he was eighteen.

But weather the village he was in was actually attacked or some natural disaster struck wasn't really his problem right now. Actually to him, social norms and obligations could go fuck themselves for the time being, he was going to enjoy his vacation as a little baby for as long as he can.

" _Fuck, ass, tit, balls, shit, piss!"_ He cursed inwardly at each stumble he took, learning to walk again was a bitch and a half Danuja discovered.

Yonono was apparently having one of her good days as she was crouched down on the other side of the nursery, gently encouraging him with every step. _"Yeah she means well but does she have to sounds so God damn condescending?"_ Danuja questioned.

With one last step he stumbled into the thick lunch lady arms of the heavy set woman, Yonono picked him up with a proud smile on her face and gently gave him a small kiss at the top of his head.

Despite himself Danuja felt a smile creep up on his face, finding it impossible to keep up his former persona against the sheer positivity that the woman exuded.

" _I'm going to have to punch a lot of trees to get my manhood back, but once again fuck it, I'm a baby now bitch and I can do what I want,"_ He reasoned.

* * *

" _I am surrounded by morons,"_ Danuja lamented as the now one year old is sitting in the middle of a different nursery in the orphanage filled with six other children around his physical age.

All around him babbling children crawled around or attempted in vain to walk, all drooling, or pissing, or shitting themselves. He didn't mind kids when he was an adult, but being amongst them as a peer? Fuck that, he wanted out of this cursed nursery _"for the love of Mary and Joseph get me out of here!"_ he cried as a black hair boy a year older than he was bumped into him and began to wail like he had been decked in the gonads.

Said wailing child caused a cascade effect as more children began to cry because the sound of the other child hurt their ears, and because those children cried even more children cried. Danuja could only hoist himself up onto his feet and slowly make his way to the door that was warded off by the wooden baby gate.

Oshi came rushing towards the door in worry, she looked down to see all the other children crying and the lone Danuja not so much as sniffling, only looking positively annoyed. Oshi sighed heavily, as she looked down at the only silent child, "Did you do this Danu-chan?" She questioned.

Danuja looked up at her and shook his head.

Oshi looked taken aback, for a brief moment at Danuja answering her question she then shook her head and made to deal with the most pressing issue.

The young woman then pulled up her arms and crossed her fingers in a hand sign that was oddly familiar to Danuja. "Okay, just like I practiced, I have enough for one clone, so…split the chakra in half and…" with a puff of smoke an exact replica of Oshi appeared right next to her, said teenager looked toughly impressed with herself, "ha still got it," she said aloud.

As Oshi busied herself and her clone with calming the children, Danuja couldn't keep his jaw from hitting the floor, _"What…the…fuck,"_ he wondered in astonishment. _"That was the fucking Shadow Clone Jutsu…O God…O fuck…either Charley put some real good shit in my IV at the hospital and have been kidding myself this entire time or…or I'm in Naruto."_

He couldn't believe it, he almost refused to believe it, he wanted to reject this reality, but as he saw two exact clones of Oshi and her previous mention of chakra just a minute ago rang in his mind. He couldn't help but think to himself, _"O this just got so much more interesting,"_ Danuja couldn't help the small conspiratorial smirk appear on his lips.

* * *

 **Yet another story that I wrote up on less than five hours of sleep, but this one is a bit more of a fun one rather than my other more serious takes on the Naruto universe.**

 **O yes this will have its serious moments, I love myself some drama, but I think this would have a bit more humor to it than other stories.**

 **This is not a Self insert, this is an original character with his own bloodline. Well I say it's his own bloodline but there are a few powers similar to what he can do that already exist but I'm going to be putting a familiar twist on it. The main reason why I say he isn't an SI is because I'm not a rat bastard former crime boss and or politician. If anything Danuja is pretty much how I play most evil/charismatic runs in open world RPG games like fallout or how I play grand strategy games like Crusader Kings Two.**

 **Like you can expect from me no Gary/Mary sue, no harems, no bashing, my three tenants of fan fiction writing.**

 **This story draws obvious inspirations from other fics like 'A World Full of Monsters' by Fahad09 and 'Kill or be Killed' by Writer with bad Grammar T-T. But I like to keep my own spin on things, I don't know where this story is going, I have no absolute concrete plans for it. I literally just started writing this thing today.**

 **I hope you all were entertained and I hope you leave a review for me if you find it worth your time to do so. If not then I ask to at least follow this story If you feel so inclined, thank you for reading and I hope this chapter finds you all well!**


	2. Baby Days: Year Two

**The Ladder**

* * *

 **I don't own Naruto, Naruto is the property of Kishimoto Masashi and is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

 **Baby Days Year Two**

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi could feel his age upon him as he walked calmly towards his intended destination. The physical damage that the Kyuubi had wrought upon his village was slowly but surely being undone and more and more homes and businesses were being restored. But the psychological damage the beast had brought to his people and himself would never truly heal, he still mourned for his wife and successor. Every night he fell asleep he was visited by all the people he had failed, they appeared to him as fresh faced Genin all looking forward to taking their first mission, it was impossible for him to memorize all of their names but their faces were seared into his mind.

Today his hat weighed more heavily as it was time for his yearly inspection of the orphanage, he knew that many of those same faces that would visit in his dreams would come to haunt him in the waking world as they had left their legacies to the care of the village. Heroes they all were, but how he prayed that this generation would be the last to make use of the orphanage, he knew it was an idealistic wish but an old man could hope couldn't he?

The Hokage gently knocked on the old wooden door politely, he knew he needn't ask permission to enter but the old lessons of his sensei still rang true. _"It is impolite to enter an allies home unannounced Saru, even I as Hokage am not exempt from this rule,"_ the words of Harashima Senju echoed in Hiruzen's mind.

The aged man only waited a few moments before one of the caretakers opened the door. "Hokage-sama, please come in!" She exclaimed in surprise.

Hiruzen smiled warmly at the young woman, "Oshi-chan it is good to see you, how have things been since last we met?" He asked.

Oshi quickly back stepped, allowing the Hokage into the main foyer which doubled as a sitting room for the children during study time. Two couches and four chairs stood around and slightly atop a very large blue colored rug that had a black Konoha emblem sewn into its center but if one looked closely they would be able to see the old stains of many different colors and frayed at its edges. Atop this aged rug was a long wooden coffee table, stained with many spills of juice and breakfast from years past.

"I am well Hokage-sama, the children keep me quite busy, but I can't thank you enough for convincing me to work here, it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life." Oshi admitted.

The Hokage's smile only brightened at hearing that, "well I am happy that your new position suits you well…may I see the children now?" He asked.

Oshi quickly bowed, "of course Hokage-sama, right this way," she spoke before leading the Hokage further into the building.

The pair passed a hallway that was labeled by a hanging wood sign that read, 'nursery,' and into the hallway immediately adjacent to it that was labeled, 'tiny tots rooms.' "No new babies have arrived since your last visit Hokage-sama so the little ones who were using them last all graduated to the slightly bigger rooms here." Oshi revealed.

"I see, that is good then," said Hiruzen.

Oshi lead the Hokage to a door a few feet into the tiny tots hallway on the left, "this is Lee-chans's room, he's quite energetic after his naps but thankfully play time ended a half an hour ago and they all had a warm glass of milk so they should all be out by now." Oshi explained before she gently opened the door to reveal a small room with a little black haired boy sleeping peacefully under soft covers.

Hiruzen smiled at the content look on the little child's face before Oshi gently closed the door for the Hokage.

The caretaker then moved to the room directly across from Lee's room, "little Ruka-chan is a bit slower than the rest but he's very friendly and loves to get the attention of the older children." Said Oshi before she opened this child's room and allowed the Hokage to peer inside to see a lightly blue hair boy who was splayed out onto his futon with drool hanging out of his mouth.

Oshi giggled lightly before she deftly entered the boy's room and swiftly adjusted Ruka's position back under his covers before giving him a small kiss on the head.

Hiruzen closed the door for the young girl, feeling proud in his choice in caretakers with each moment that passed.

Again Oshi guided her Hokage to the other side of the hallway, "this…" Oshi gave a small sigh, "this is Danuja Okamura's room…he's…different, he seems…well…just look for yourself Hokage-sama." The caretaker spoke in exasperation.

The caretaker gently opened the door, inside was a child with dark black hair and dark purple eyes. The child, unlike the others, was awake, and to the Hokage great surprise, was reading. Or at least attempting to, his back was to his futon, his blankets kicked off and forgotten. He was holding a children's book strait up and seemed to be looking for something as he turned the book all around in different angle, looking both frustrated and confused.

"How in God's name is this even an actual language, it looks more like chicken scratch to me." The high pitched voice of Danuja grumbled.

Oshi narrowed her eyes at the two year old and stormed into his room, "Danu-chan I keep telling you, stop skipping nap time!" She exclaimed in a reserved shout, not wanting to wake the other children.

Danuja jumped in his bed with a fright, tossing the book into the air, the arc of the book lead towards the doorway but before it could reach the floor the Hokage caught it in midair. "Two years old and already trying to learn to read, that's impressive Danuja-kun," Hiruzen said with an easy smile.

Danuja looked like a Nara caught being productive as he stared at the old man, "uhh…well…I don't like being dumb," he confessed.

The Hokage chuckled mirthfully, "yes I supposed none of us do, but that is some rare initiative you're showing, did Oshi-san or Yonono-san get you to start reading?" He asked lightly.

Danuja shook his head, "I saw some kids picking on someone who didn't know how to read, they called him stupid, I don't want to be picked on so I grabbed this book, but it's so hard, could you teach me old man?" Danuja asked with big purple puppy dog eyes.

Oshi put her hands on her hips and lightly glared at the two year old, "Danuja this is the Hokage, the leader of our village and one of the most powerful men in the world, you should treat him with respect." She said but with little amount of force, knowing that the child was too young to have heard about the Hokage until today.

Danuja looked up at the man with shining purple eyes, "wow, so you could like read every book ever made?" He asked.

Hiruzen chuckled heartily at the innocence, "I don't know about that but I have read a great many books and scrolls in my time, so many that people started calling me the professor." The Hokage explained

If possible Danuja's eyes got even bigger, "wow, so you could really teach me how to read?" He asked.

Oshi stepped forward, "Danu-chan Hokage-sama is a very busy person, I don't think he'll have the time, but I'll make sure to start teaching you tomorrow how does that sound?" She asked.

Danuja frowned lightly, "aww but the professor's so smart, I'm sure if he'll teach me I'll figure it out in no time!" Danuja childishly exclaimed.

Oshi raised an eyebrow at the child, "o so you're saying I'm not smart are you?" she asked carefully.

The two year old wisely shook his head quickly, "no, no…I mean…well…" he struggled to find the right words.

He was saved from his ramblings when the Hokage put a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, "I'll make you a deal Danuja-kun, if you can learn to read this whole book before I visit again then I'll give you an even bigger book from my own library." The Hokage challenged.

Danuja smiled a huge megawatt smile, "you're on!" He accepted.

Hiruzen handed the children's book to the caretaker, "then it's a deal, I expect you to be able to read that book to me aloud by the time I return," he said before he made his way out the room.

Oshi stayed behind just for a moment to ruffle Danuja's hair, "get some sleep Danu-chan, dinner will be made in a few hours," she informed before she followed her leader out the door.

After they exited the Hokage gave a small chuckle, "I see what you mean Oshi-san, that boy certainly is different, but it's not that much of a surprise. His mother and father were quite special in their own right," Hiruzen commented.

The caretaker lead the Hokage down the hallways towards another door, "yes but it's just that he seems to hold a certain…awareness that the other children don't have. He seems to understand himself and the world around him much better than any child has the right to know, he makes these strange comments occasionally and reference's things that I don't understand and I don't know where he gets it from." Oshi explains.

Hiruzen nodded at that, "yes I noticed it too, he seemed to grasp the importance of my position almost as soon as I entered the room even if his words did not say so, his eyes seem to hold a…weight to them that no child should. Has he shown signs of inheriting his mother's powers yet?" He asked

Oshi shook her head, "no, but I think your theory is correct in that it must manifest itself only after his chakra is unlocked. Even if he can even harness that power, it will still be some years away before we would know for sure," she replied.

The Hokage nodded, "it seems like only time will tell," said Hiruzen.

* * *

At the same time Danuja was clutching his heart while never taking his eyes off the door, _"holy shit, holy shit, that was Hiruzen mother fucking Sarutobi, and I got him to notice me!"_ He thought.

After a moment his heart steadied and he took a haggard gulp of air, "looks like my plans accelerated a tad, a surprise to be sure but a welcome one." He spoke aloud to the empty room.

* * *

Danuja could feel the debt that he owes Oshi keep piling up day by day, when the young woman said she would teach him how to read, she meant it. Every day for the last two months she would take at least thirty minutes out of her day to sit with him one on one and slowly go through the Kanji in his book with him. The speaking bit of Japanese was the easy part, learning to read it and write it was like jumping from learning to ride a scooter to learning to ride a unicycle with a four hour long erection.

Danuja appreciated people who did what they said they were going to do, commitment was hard to come by back in his old world. He's had to deal with way too many hot shots that said they could do a job only to get cold feet the day they were supposed to show up for a job. He felt like he was being disrespected when people were dishonest with him, but Oshi was as honest as they come, at least so far, he respected the girl for that, that's more than what he could really say for Yonono.

The heavy set woman was nice enough, but she wasn't as committed to her word as Oshi was, she said she would do something but then she would either, 'forget,' or was 'too tired,' sure running an orphanage with a few hundred kids is tough but so what. Danuja's shits back in his old world after a Mexican supper were tough but you didn't hear him complaining.

Danuja was currently sitting in the foyer which doubled as the extra sturdy room, most of the younger kids were outside playing on the orphanage grounds while the older ones were at the academy. The front doors were opened allowing the afternoon sun to stream though and light his reading, the sound of dozens of children playing and screaming echoed in the air. "So...the…littlest…seed…found…its…way…home…because…it's friends…helped it…along…the…way…now the littlest seed…can…grow…into…a…big and…tall tree…the end." Danuja struggled to read the last passage of the small children's book aloud.

He hated reading aloud even in English, it never felt quite right like reading in his head did. But regardless he had finally done it, he finished the book before the Hokage visited again, he didn't know how long the Hokage took between visits but he was happy that he was able to beat the Hokage's challenge. _"Now I need to get faster at this, I won't stand for good enough, I want to be perfect, I need to impress him. Only good can come from getting on Hiruzen Sarutobi's prodigy radar."_ He mused.

So Danuja set out to read the book again this time in his head, the words easier to understand now that he knew what they were supposed to sound like aloud. It wasn't a good book by any means, he's read edgy poems carved onto the side of bathroom stalls that were more creative than this book, but it was made for function rather than style. It had many every day words and very, very basic arithmetic throughout the story, the ending passage summed up the gest of the entire story. A sentient seed wants to become a tree but to become a big and strong tree, only though the help of friends along the way, can the seed get to its 'home,' which is just the a new patch of soil. It looks like the whole, 'teamwork makes the dream work' motto that Konoha is built off of starts young, _"I mean they ain't wrong, humans after all are social creatures, our rise to world domination didn't come by being solitary animals, any ninja who thinks they're better off working by themselves better be named Madara Uchiha or else they're a total dumbass."_ Mused Danuja.

He heard a pair of footsteps approach from his right side, he look up to see another caretaker named Kumi. A woman who looked to be in her late twenties with light brown hair that fell like a curtain to her shoulder blades and big green eyes. "Danuja-san why are you not playing with the other children?" She asked in her usual formal and monotone voice.

"Professor Hokage man said if I finished this book by the time he shows back up he'll get me an even bigger book!" Danuja said excitedly, easily drawing upon his previous experience as a con art…err used car salesmen to put on a friendly persona.

The formal woman in her beige, almost Hyuga-esque kimono raised a delicately manicured eyebrow. "Hokage-sama gave you an assignment, at two years old?" She questioned incredulously, that was the thing with this woman, she spoke to children like adults. In her mind the reason why children act so immaturely is because adults have low expectations and treat them like 'mindless sheep' as she puts it, in her opinion if everyone spoke to children like they were adults than they wouldn't be prone to immaturity and stupid decision making.

Danuja personally didn't think that theory held much water, he's seen grown adults who's spent years in the military act like middle school children and start unneeded and unwanted drama both in their personal lives and in the workplace. "He sure did, you think you could show me some other books, I want to show em that I can read all kinds of books before he shows up!" He asked with big puppy dog eyes, using his new baby body to his full advantage.

Kumi held a stoic face as she looked into a face that would have brought lesser woman to squeal. "I suppose if you are trying to impress the Hokage than the normal protocol of mental development could be suspended. I will bring you a book at a greater reading level, do not disappoint me Danuja-san," spoke Kumi before she walked away and onto one of the stairs that flanked the foyer on either side.

" _What a strange woman,"_ Danuja mused as he watched her disappear into a shadowed hallway. He shook his head from idle thoughts and continued to read, what he's dubbed as, 'the beginners guild to chicken scratch.'

* * *

Danuja always figure that a place called the Land of Fire would perpetually be in a state of summer or spring, like a country wide version of Louisiana but to his pleasant surprise it did indeed begin to snow at the same time that he expected. Apparently the Romans existed in this world or some Roman like culture was influential enough to standardize the calendar system because by the time late November came around the faint beginnings of snowfall began to appear.

On Oshi's insistence, in her latest attempt to get him to 'socialize,' Danuja was outside in the nearby playground that was only a few meters outside on the western walls of the orphanage. Danuja was bundled in a big hand-me-down jacket that had more makeshift patches on it than it did the original fabric. His head was kept warm by a dark purple beanie that matched his eyes, his hands, covered in a pair of woolen mittens, held a book that Kumi had given him some weeks prior.

This was the third book the stoic caretaker had given him and was the first nonfiction book that he was able to get his hand on. Unsurprisingly this factual book was much more interesting than any of the tasteless drivel that constituted children's books in this world. It wasn't a particularly large book, with being a bit less than a hundred pages long. The novella was in actuality a published journal of the Land of Hot Water's Daimyo and his account of the events during the waning days of the clan wars era. The journal began with the writer visiting the Fire Daimyo's court for a wedding ceremony between his third cousin and the eighth daughter of Fire Daimyo and had detailed the signing of a pact of non-aggression between the two houses. The Lord of Hot Water wrote of his opinion on an emerging Konohagakure and the fear and paranoia he felt at the thought of the two most powerful men since the time of the Sage allying one another.

The journal turned novella goes on to describe the writers desires to have one of these hidden villages in his own domain in the hopes he could take back the lands he lost during his war against the Land of Frost. The book was overall very informative, it reflected the opinions of the general nobility during the largest transitional period of the age, and the thought process of a relatively minor lord and his failed machinations as he attempted to gain more and more power. The journal ended with a publisher's note describing the fate of the Land of Hot Water Daimyo and how he had an unfortunate accident just a few years after the founding of Yugakure.

Danuja chuckled as he closed the novella, causing his breath to become visible in the chilly winter air. _"Accident my ass, he married his son off to a major clan in Yugakure thinking his heir would take charge and consolidate his house's power once his heir ascended the to the position of Daimyo. But what the Daimyo didn't realize was that he unintentionally put the ninja clan in a position to claim right to the throne in the event of his death. It's obvious now that he was assassinated."_ He theorized with an amused grin.

The sound of children running across freshly fallen snow brought him back to reality, the few dozen children still not old enough to be of academy age filled the playground. A few of the older children were having a snowball fight running around and playing dead as they got hit. The children that was Danuja's physical age were playing in a miniature version of the playground off to the far side, a place that was heavily shaded during most of the year. The two to three year old children were discovering the odd mix of snow and sand for the first time as they dug around in the sandpit.

Seeing these children run around made Danuja wonder where the title character was, _"Almost two years in this place and not a spec of bright blond hair to be found, are they keeping the kid under wraps for now? I know the kid shows up at the orphanage eventually but the particulars aren't really described in the manga or anime from what I can remember."_ He pondered.

It ultimately didn't matter to him, he was still on the fence about befriending Naruto or not, on one hand the boy was so easily manipulated that it was almost sad. He could have his very own loyal attack fox at his beck and call, but on the other he could be behind the scenes and be the unlikely badass of the story. Silently gain power in the shadows and manipulate from a distance until all the pieces were on the board and all the players were distracted with greater threats, then and only then will he make his moves and seize power with his secret network of allies.

He could see the appeal of both, be in the thick of it and directly influence the central player of the years to come, or be in the shadows and be the unlikely hero this world needs but not the one it deserves. _"Hmm decisions, decisions,"_ Danuja contemplated as he scratched his head under his beanie.

"Eh that's a problem for future Danuja to handle, right now I want to see if this world has hot coco," The brunette muttered to himself as he sat up from under a tree and brushed the snow off of his pants.

Once Danuja took off his coat and shoes after entering the three storied orphanage, he found Yonono sitting on one of the couches holding a stemming teacup. "Good morning," Danuja greeted politely.

The heavy set woman turned her head in his direction, "Danuja-kun please sit," the woman ordered with a small smile.

Danuja looked at the woman curiously as this was the first time her would be having a private conversation with the matron of the orphanage. He sat on the couch across from the woman, not wanting to sit next to her and having to hold onto the armrest least the tilt of the couch caused by her weight force him to slide over to her.

Yonono sipped her warm tea quietly before beginning, "I and the other caretakers have been watching your progress very carefully and after many discussions between us, we have decided that we will officially forgo the typical protocol of the orphanage and will be beginning your studies after your birthday in a few weeks." The matron revealed.

Danuja looked up in surprise, "wow really, you mean you'll teach me to be smart and everything?" Laying on the innocent face, big watery purple eyes and all.

Yonono nodded, "it is not the first time this has happened, do you remember last month when we spoke of the Yondaime Hokage and how he saved us from an evil beast?" She questioned.

"Yeah, he was the fastest Hokage ever!" Danuja confirmed some of the knowledge he was given last month excitedly.

The matron sipped her tea once more, "yes he was, what many will not tell you was that he was a clan less orphan, he came into my care at the age of five, he was so bright and gifted. I and the other caretakers at the time knew that the standard curriculum would not help him, so the few months I tutored him before he went off to the academy I had started him on studies that would make children twice his age struggle. He was a genius and after a few hours of explanation it was plane to see that he would have exhausted all I had to teach him if he hadn't joined the academy." Explained Yonono.

During the older woman's explanation Danuja's eyes wondered to the large six foot tall, four foot long oil painting of Minato Namikaze hanging against the wall above the second story landing, its own small light overhead ever illumination the smiling visage of the Yondaime Hokage. "So…he was just like us...a nobody with no family...he was just like me?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the portrait, whispering the last bit for extra effect.

Yonono sat her tea gently down on the old coffee table, "that he was Danuja-kun, you have a brightness in your eyes that reminds me so much of him, he is a wonderful example that you should strive to become like. He proved to the whole world that those of common blood could rise to become greater than what the world thought of them," she encouraged with a warm smile.

There was a long pause in the foyer while Danuja made a show of looking contemplative, until he suddenly jumped to his feet on the couch, a big grin on his face as he looked at the matron. "Then I'll do it, I'll remind the world that us nobodies shouldn't be looked down on, I'll become even greater than the Yondaime, I'll become the best Hokage ever!" The exited boy exclaimed.

Yonono stood up with a beaming smile, "you sound just like Minato-kun, I, Kumi, and Oshi will make sure you have everything you need before you enter the academy and show those clan kids a thing or two." The matron then took her empty teacup from the table and began to walk away, "I'll tell the other girls tonight that you accepted…o yes and Danuja-kun," she stopped at the large double doors that lead to the kitchen.

"Yes?" The boy asked innocently.

"Get your feet off the couch!" She yelled irately.

"Sorry!" He scrambled to sit down.

After Yonono disappeared into the kitchen, Danuja couldn't help the small smirk come to his face. _"O Will of Fire, your proto-nationalist ideals are so easy to manipulate,"_ he thought with dark glee.

* * *

 **For some of you that may be wondering, this story is not my primary concern at the moment. Shape Shifter is still my main thing as of right now, this story is more of what I would have put in Shape Shifter but the setting and the themes didn't match with the story.**

 **I love the whole anti-villain concept, the idea of a bad person doing good things for their own gain is really appealing to me, so I won't be making Danuja some edge lord villain that wants to bring about his own thousand year reign of darkness. No Danuja is a kind, peaceful, yet admittedly slightly vindictive person who is the only one with the will to bring about the peace this world desperately needs.**

 **I hope this chapter finds you all well once again, I appreciate all of the support!**


	3. Baby Days: Year Three

**The Ladder**

 **I don't own Naruto, Naruto is the property of Kishimoto Masashi and is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

 **Baby Days Year Three**

* * *

The winter months passed eventually and the nice warm spring breeze rejuvenated the village and brought new life to the forest and all the animals that call it home.

With the new weather came new things to learn for Danuja, the matron and the caretakers had taken it upon themselves to give the boy personal instructions on various subjects whenever they had an hour or two to spare. He didn't have a ridged learning schedule and only rarely did he actually get lessons on back to back days which meant that his advanced lessons ended up being about once or twice a week. Which was understandable as the orphanage was horribly understaffed but it still irked him like no other.

" _For fucks sake clan kids get regular lessons every day and here I am sitting on my ass waiting for them to get around to me."_ Danuja would lament in irritation.

It wasn't like he could start doing physical or chakra exercises yet anyway, he was too young for the physical and he hadn't the faintest clue how to access his chakra. No books or scrolls he has come across even hinted at a possibility, most of the literature he had found on his own or was given was mainly fictional, only rarely was he given things that he could find of some use or intellectually stimulating. He found his favorite book, once again given to him by the stoic Kumi, it was an account of the First Shinobi World War from the perspective of a traveling monk.

The monk was from the Fire Temple and was on a pilgrimage to the seven ancient holy sights found around the world, in his travels he detailed his experiences when encountering the aftermath of some of the major battle of the war but a large portion of the book seems to be missing. Many of the details only tell the deeds of Iwa or Kumo Shinobi and how they would ferociously slaughter their enemies without remorse glossing over the details of the Konoha shinobi and only describing them as 'brave fighters.' Danuja figured either Konoha itself censored the true version of the monk's account or the monk himself held bias, he honestly didn't know which was the case. The monk ended up being an influential leader in the religious organization he was a part of so he had obvious political ambitions and gaining enemies with Konoha by writing something that may put them in a bad light wouldn't have been wise. But at the same time he could have been an honest man and Konoha, being the ninja village that it is, pushed its influence to censor all copies of the book, Danuja felt like it honestly could go either way.

Currently the brunette was sitting at one of the tables that made up the large dining room, the dining room had five very long tables that was about twenty feet long and five feet wide and nearly every seat in the dining room was filled. The room was very noisy, it was lit by dozen hanging candles and a large hearth that was used to cook a huge cauldron of soup.

Supper and breakfast was the only time all of the kids that were in one room together, Danuja being amongst the youngest of the bunch sat at the very end of farthest table from the hearth. He was sitting in his booster seat aided chair, his arms and body being used prison style to protect his food from the grubby hands of the children that surrounded him. His instincts gained in his old life when he spent a few years in kiddy jail for stealing a pack of booze for his 'friends' at thirteen kicked in right as soon as he was out of the high chair. Danuja learned to wolf down his food as soon as he had gotten it, he barely even tasted the lamb and potato soup.

He was more than halfway done with his bowl when he felt a pair of eyes watching him, slowly Danuja raised his head to meet the curious gaze of a four year old Rock Lee. "Why do you eat like that?" the toddler asked curiously.

Not answering right away Danuja finished his bowl by grabbing the sides and drinking directly from it, chewing the last bits of lamb and potato left as they entered his mouth. Danuja let down the bowl with a sigh of satisfaction, "I just don't want to risk other people stealing my food," Danuja confessed.

Lee bit his lip in thought, "I would never steal from someone," he admitted with a nod.

This was a rare occasion that another child in the orphanage actually bothered to talk to him, children picked up on things surprisingly well. The children in his age group at least subconsciously acknowledged that Danuja was different and therefore was part of the 'other,' something that shouldn't be associated with. This was in no small part due to Danuja creating a social barrier between himself and the other children, only ever responding to questions when prompted and never being the one to initiate conversation. Danuja wondered if the caretakers thought he was at least mildly retarded with his apparent lack of social skills and not adhering to the norms of childhood development. He couldn't help it that talking with toddlers as peers was about as mentally stimulating as watching reality television and that he'd rather talk to someone who was actually engaging in conversation.

Danuja pushed against the table, his chair making a loud grinding noise on the wooden floor, "well thanks for not stealing then Lee," the purple eyed boy said off handedly as he grabbed his bowl and climbed off of his chair.

Yonono enforced a strict, 'you use it you clean it,' policy when it comes to dishes it was an annoyance to Danuja but it defiantly beat assigning one or two kids to clean hundreds of dishes every day. Danuja entered the kitchen area, he soon found the appropriately sized step stool and quickly cleaned his own used dishes before drying them off and placing it back in a cabinet they used to store all the bowls. After he was done he jumped down off of the step stool and began to make his way towards the double doors leading back into the foyer.

Danuja made his way towards his room and found his, 'home work,' sitting on his bed. The caretakers, not always being able to teach him one on one, regularly gave him assignments that reviewed the material they were teaching him. Danuja grabbed the piece of paper and looked at the assignment, he recognized Oshi's very small handwriting almost as soon as his eyes scanned the paper. It was all easy to him, they had graduated him from learning shapes and colors months ago and when they learned that he was breezing through all of the basic stuff they began working him on basic arithmetic and general history.

All easy stuff for someone who already graduated high school even if it was just barely, the history was the only interesting subject to him as it was the only new information that he was learning. Math, despite this being a completely different universe was still unchanged, science wasn't even covered, the laws of physics and its interaction with chakra basically threw all what he had been taught about the known universe from his old world out the window.

But Danuja's contemplations of the secrets of chakra and the universe in general was once again relegated to 'future Danuja's problem,' right now he knew that he was already ahead of schedule on a few of his plans so he figured that he should use this time to rest and relax for as long as possible. For he knew that the years to come were going to get exponentially more stressful as the day to the moon's eye plan grew closer and closer, a day where everything is turned to eleven and the most overpowered shit will go down. _"An arch wizard with samurai armor with the power to pull asteroids from space and drop them on top of thousands of highly trained ninjas like it's nothing, a huge ass Kaiju fight between Godzilla rejects and an allegory for the tree of good and evil. All culminating in a fight between two totally not gay teenagers one with dreams of a better tomorrow and one that is a slave to the Kage system. I am so fucked,"_ Danuja lamented.

It was then that he heard a knock on his door and a moment later Oshi entered his room, "Danu-chan tomorrow the Hokage will come to visit, do you still remember your deal with him?" She asked.

Danuja nodded his head, "yes I'm supposed to read the little seedling out loud for him, then he'll give me an awesome book from his personal library!" He added in a small bounce on his futon to accent his excitement.

Oshi smiled, "that's good, remember I want you to look presentable, Hokage-sama himself gave you this task and it is proper to look your best when showing off to our leader." The caretaker explained before she closed the door, leaving Danuja to get his rest.

* * *

The next day found the Sandaime Hokage once again knocking on the door to the Konoha orphanage. But this time the ever stoic Kumi answered the door, "Hokage-sama, you honor me and this humble orphanage with your visit," the caretaker said with a deep bow.

Hiruzen smiled lightly, accenting the laugh lines around his mouth and the crow's feet at the corner of his eyes. "It's always my pleasure Kumi-san, I trust that things are running as smoothly as last I visited then?" The Hokage asked as he stepped into the foyer.

The green eyed woman nodded her head, her long ponytail bobbing with the motion, "we strive to maintain the level of excellency that is expected from us Hokage-sama, no incidents to report of Sir."

The Hokage hummed in approval, "that is very good Kumi-san, may I see the children now?" He asked politely.

Kumi bowed once more, "of course Hokage-sama, please follow me," she said before she moved up the left staircase. "With the unusually hot weather today we did not think it prudent to allow the smaller children to play in the yard so we rearranged the class room to act as a play area for the day." Kumi explained while she walked up the stairs followed by the Hokage.

"I suppose the temporary move is not interfering with the other children's studies are they?" Hiruzen asked.

Kumi shook her head as she lead the Hokage down a short hallway that had only a few other doors, none of them labeled save for the one at the end of the hallway that read 'Classroom.' "Play time does not coincide with class time Hokage-sama," the caretaker assured.

Kumi then opened the door to reveal a brightly lit room that benefited from having two large windows that allowed the sun's natural light to pour in. Pushed aside and lining the walls of the room where desks with chairs attached to allow for the children to have an open space to play, the number of desks were around thirty, in the middle of the room was a large green rug and atop the rug was a dozen children, ages ranging from two to four years old. Hiruzen took note of Oshi watching over the children near the back of the room, the young woman smiled towards the door as soon as she caught sight of the Hokage.

Many children were playing with wooden blocks large enough to not allow the children to fit them in their mouths, a few girls around four years old were playing with dolls, some children of each gender were coloring or drawing, to Hiruzen's amusement a few were playing house with two four year olds acting as the parents and a two year old acting as the baby.

But there was one child who sat alone, sitting in one of the desks pushed to the side of the wall, with his little three year old feet swinging in the air and his nose to a small book. "Is that Danuja-kun?" Hiruzen asked Kumi while nodding his head in the boy's direction.

The stoic Kumi's lips twitched in a small smile, "yes it its Hokage-sama, he has been a diligent student of literature ever since your last meeting," the woman confirmed.

The Hokage allowed his eyes to scan the playing children once again, catching a heartwarming sight of one four year old boy shyly give a colored pencil to a girl the same age and almost immediately striking up a conversation together as they colored side by side. "I am impressed, it seems that Danuja-kun really did take to my challenge," commented the Hokage.

"Would you like to speak with him Hokage-sama? I know Danuja is very eager to meet you again," asked Kumi.

Hiruzen nodded, "yes it would be very interesting to see if he has exceeded my expectations."

Kumi then waved towards Oshi sitting in the back and nodded towards Danuja, the young woman understood and walked towards the boy, after a few seconds of brief conversation between Oshi and Danuja, Hiruzen could see the boy's face light up and he practically ran towards the door.

"Danuja-san do you remember your etiquette lessons?" Kumi asked as the boy came within earshot.

Danuja nodded with a smile before going into a deep bow before the Hokage, "it's an honor to meet you again Hokage-sama," said the three year old.

Hiruzen smiled down at the boy, "my how you've grown Danuja-kun, are you ready to meet the challenge I posed to you last year?" He asked kindly.

Danuja straitened his back and meet the Hokage's eyes, dark purple orbs shining with confidence, "I sure am Hokage-sama, I'll make you and the whole orphanage proud," he beamed.

Kumi took a step forward, "then please come with me, Yonono-sempai has asked that she witness this challenge herself as well, we will be going to her office." The caretaker informed.

"Very well, lead the way please Kumi-san," said Hiruzen.

Danuja followed the two out of the classroom turned temporary playroom, "so what's your job Hokage-sama?" Danuja asked curiously, following in step beside the legendary figure.

Hiruzen chuckled, a nostalgic feeling taking him back years ago to a time when a young redheaded girl asked him the same question. "Well Danuja-kun I lead our village and protect everyone in it, with the will of fire I have the power to protect everyone inside of Konoha." The aged man answered.

Danuja's big purple eyes looked up at the man innocently, "what's the will of fire?" He asked.

Hiruzen stopped mid stride as he was about to take a staircase that lead to the third level of the orphanage, the Hokage looked down, aged brown eyes looking into deep pools of violet. "The will of fire is the belief that everyone inside of Konoha is a part of one large family and that the ninja of our village can overcome all odds because they love and cherish this village. It is a promise that I make every day that I will protect the village with everything I have, that promise is what makes me and every ninja of our village so strong." The Hokage's words and the passion in his voice echoed in the halls.

Danuja looked awed at the man in front of him, "wow...so…even if…even if I don't have a mom or dad…everyone in the village is my family?" He asked with a small voice.

Hiruzen ruffled the boy's hair "of course they are, if you wish to become a ninja one day I know you will do well, but even if you do not wish this you are no less important to Konoha." Affirmed the Hokage.

Danuja seemed to think on Hiruzen's words and went into contemplative silence as the three made their way to the third floor of the orphanage and turned into a hallway.

At the end of the hallway was Yonono's office, Kumi gently knocked on the door, "Yonono-sempai, Hokage-sama and Danuja-san are here." She announced

A moment later the door was opened by the rotund woman, "Hokage-sama, it's good to see you once again," the matron greeted with as deep a bow as her size allowed.

Hiruzen nodded towards Yonono, "same to you Yonono-san," he greeted simply.

The matron backed out of the doorway and walked back to her desk, "please come in, I have the book that little Danuja-kun was challenged to read," she said as she held up the small, bright yellow colored book and handed it to Danuja.

The boy took the book in his small hands and waited for his queue to read, "Danuja-kun, if you would be so kind and show Hokage-sama your progress in reading." Yonono instructed.

Danuja nodded and read aloud the tale of the little seedling, easily reading through with the skill that was well ahead of children his age. Hiruzen sat back in a plush chair and watched the three year old read the book with practiced ease, _"I shouldn't be surprised, the drive in those eyes and that initiative he showed…Konoha once again has another diamond in the rough,"_ Thought the Hokage.

Danuja concluded his reading of the little seedling in a few short minutes and the young boy looked up to meet the proud faces of Yonono and Hiruzen as well as the ever stoic Kumi, the boy smiled in trepidation as he locked eyes with his village leader.

"When did you finish that book Danuja-kun?" Asked the Hokage.

Danuja cleared his throat, "I finished reading it a few months after you left, Oshi-sensei really helped a lot, after that Kumi-sensei gave me some more books to read." The boy answered.

The old man hummed at that, "and how many books have you read since finishing the little seedling?" He asked.

Danuja titled his head, his eyes looking up slightly as he recalled the various book he read over the year. "About…uhh…twenty I think…a lot of them are really boring and go over things like colors and talking fruit or animals."

Hiruzen adopted a curious look as he asked, "and what books aren't boring?"

Danuja held up the book currently in his hand, "books like this, stuff that didn't happen, these are boring…I like things that actually did happen, like journals from people who lived way back and traveled the world, that's way cooler than a talking seed." Danuja admitted.

The Hokage chuckled at the boy's answer, "o my you sure aren't like other children your age Danuja-kun, most kids think it's the other way around, but that does help me in making my choice of book to give you easier."

Danuja quickly rushed in front of the Hokage, "O what is it, what is it?" The boy asked excitedly.

Kumi took a step forward, "Danuja-san…" she said in a warning tone.

Danuja quickly took a step back and bowed deeply to the Hokage, "o...I mean…thank you Hokage-sama," The brunette corrected.

Hiruzen chuckled mirthfully, "no need my boy, your excitement for knowledge is most welcome, I do however have something in mind," he said as a hand disappeared into his robes before pulling out a red leather bound book. "This Danuja-kun, is a copy of a personal diary written by my father Sasuke Sarutobi, I trust you to take good care of this."

Danuja's eyes were wide with awe as he took the red leather book in a delicate grip, "thank you Hokage-sama, I'll cherish it always," he said before he bowed deeply.

Yonono cleared her throat, getting the attention of everyone in the room, "this is a great honor you give to Danuja-kun Hokage-sama, I am sure he would love to immediately go and read it in his room before lunch time." She said with a smile.

Danuja nodded hastily, "yes, may I be excused?" He asked excitedly.

"You may, " excused Yonono, and just like that the boy rushed out the door, his little foot falls echoing down the halls before they disappeared down the stairs.

The mood of the matron's office soon turned slightly more serious as the matron adjusted herself in her chair and the Hokage moved to directly face her. "Danuja-kun is most impressive Yonono-san, is there any progress you would like to report that letters could not tell?" Asked the Hokage.

Yonono nodded, "the boy has excelled past the basics that are taught by pre academy lessons, he has also expressed a desire to become a Shinobi, like most children in the orphanage, Minato-sama is his biggest inspiration, but after today that might not be fully true." She reported.

Kumi then stepped forward, "Hokage-sama while this is very impressive I must also express concern spoken to me by Oshi-san. Danuja-san is very antisocial, rarely ever does he speak to other children, the most anyone hears him speak is if he is asking one of us a question or when reading aloud." Kumi added.

Hiruzen hummed in thought, "has Danuja-kun ever been bullied, ever had periods of aggression, does he ever tell you why he doesn't speak to the other children?" He asked.

Yonono frowned, "a few of his peers have called him strange but nothing physical has happened, the most frustrated I have seen him is when he was learning to read or learning to eat with chop sticks."

Kumi then adds, "I have asked him on one occasion why he doesn't socialize with the other children, his response was…interesting."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, "define interesting Kumi-san," said the Hokage.

"Danuja-san…it is obvious that he is not like other children, when he thinks no one is watching I can see that he doesn't carry himself as ignorant as he wants us to believe. When I asked him why he doesn't socialize he told me that the other children bore him, 'they don't have anything interesting to say,' he said, I don't know what to make of it honestly." Kumi revealed.

Hiruzen frowned at this, "I hope my talk with him today will encourage him to make friends, even Minato, as genius as he was, made dozens of friends."

Yonono nodded, "we have tried to encourage him to make friends but the boy is uninterested, I hope he comes around soon," the rotund woman expressed her concerns.

Hiruzen stood from his chair, suppressing a groan from his aching bones, "this has been enlightening Yonono-san, I look forward to hearing more progress from our hopeful prodigy."

Yonono quickly stood from her chair as well and bowed to her leader, "the pleasure is all mine Hokage-sama, we will do our upmost to make sure that he and the other children have the tools they need to succeed."

Hiruzen smiled, "Kumi-san, would you care to take me to see the other children?" He asked.

Kumi bowed as well before opening the door for her Hokage, "of course, right this way Hokage-sama." The door to Yonono's office closed with a creak, leaving the matron in deep thought.

* * *

Meanwhile Danuja had just rushed into his room and closed the door behind him, clutching the large red leather journal to his chest, his breath panting from his run down the three story building. "That was easier than I thought," he mused.

The man turned boy then sat down on his mattress and grabbed the leather journal before opening it to the first page, _"Sasuke Sarutobi, age fourteen, year nine Hundred eighty Sage's Reckoning. "my dearest sister as given me this scroll in hopes that I may put my meditations to the ink well. I however do not see this to be a prudent mental exercise and suspect that within a fortnight this scroll will be thrown into the bog."_ Danuja read.

The violet eyed boy chuckled, "off to a great start then," he muttered to himself before he continued to read.

* * *

 **This story is going to move faster than my other story Shape Shifter, I am experimenting between the two paces. I don't know which one I like best, the slow burn or the mild burn.**

 **Thank you all for reading, following, favoriteing, and especially reviewing!**


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